Listing of the Day: A Whimsical Home in Rural Vermont

Only the location is rustic at this 85-acre fantasyland near the Green Mountains

This magical estate seems as though it were ripped from the pages of a storybook.

There are eight separate buildings on the 85-acre lot, which has a view of the Green Mountains and Mount Mansfield (at 4,393 feet, the state’s highest peak). The main residence is dominated by the owners’ big, bold collection of American folk art, which they will take with them. Eagles glower from walls. The angel Gabriel, in the form of a weathervane, blows his horn.

Bud Wilson, of Wilson Architecture in Waterbury, Vermont, designed the renovation of the main house; to the expansive acreage, he added ponds, a miniature golf course and an art studio.

Although the main house is dramatic, it’s the smaller buildings and the landscaping that add whimsy to the setting. Throughout the grounds, oversized statues and art pieces pepper the landscape.

The Stats

The main house was originally built in 1991 and was lightly renovated when the owners bought it in 2001, Wilson said. From 2002 to 2014, however, he worked with the owner to add to and renovate the entire property.

The main residence is 8,150 square feet, and has seven bedrooms and eight full bathrooms. The living room faces Mount Mansfield.

The property’s other seven buildings include a three-bedroom guest house; a three-bedroom caretaker’s cottage; a four-bay garage for recreational vehicles; a six-car main garage; and a car wash building.

Design Pedigree

The owner, a businessman who lives primarily in Florida, initially hired Bud Wilson to convert a bedroom into a bathroom.

For the landscaping, Wilson worked first with Keith Wagner of Wagner Hodgson Landscape Architecture in Burlington, Vermont and later with Loren Darling, a landscaper in Morrisville, Vermont.

Amenities

This sprawling, eclectic property features a full-size tennis court and a half-court for basketball, plus a separate art studio complete with its own underground art gallery.

Next to the outdoor fire pit, an Airstream sits waiting for impromptu road trips, said Landvest, Inc.’s Wade Weathers, Jr., the listing agent.

Bring Your Own Personality

The owner will take his collection of Early American art with him, leaving a blank slate for the new owners. But with 85 acres, eight buildings and built-in amenities to appeal to both artist and athlete alike, this is a property with potential.